


The Last Break of the Mind.

by keepquietplease



Series: Sanders Sides Stories [27]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Cannibalism, Drugs, Established Relationship, Everyone is unsympathetic, Hybristophilia, I am so sorry, I had to do explicit because Virgil gets off on killing people, I mean, I mean it's weed, Implied/Referenced Sex, Insomnia, Intrusive Thoughts, Marijuana, Mild Gore, Multi, Murder, No Smut, Non-Sexual Bondage, Other, Relationship Issues, Self-Harm, Self-induced insomnia, They are literally murderers, Unhealthy Relationships, Unhealthy to healthy speed run lets go, Violent Thoughts, Virgil is all kinds of fucked up, but he kills lovers so like, cursing, duh - Freeform, fuck it, i am ashamed, it kills me Janus can't be all romantic with Virgil in this, it's either a romcom disguised as horror, mentioned sex, or horror disguised as a romcom, still not a horror writer, whole lot of fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26343301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepquietplease/pseuds/keepquietplease
Summary: Everything was starting to build up on Virgil.  The nightmares came back.  He stopped sleeping just so he could escape his mind.  Clean up was easy.  So was taking photos.  Everything else?  Not so much.His lovers were beginning to notice his increasingly concerning habits.Also known as:Come on guys.  Be good murderers.  No, don't make Virgil think you're going to kill him--stop doing that.  Wait, don't convince him to murder people.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Everyone, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Sanders Sides Stories [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837975
Comments: 14
Kudos: 131





	The Last Break of the Mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Well I lied.  
> I'm making this AU it's own series so we can all witness Virgil's descent into madness as he tries to convince himself he's a good person.  
> Your author fact of the day is I'm a compulsive liar. No wonder I fucking lied about ending the series.  
> But for real, it's an issue I'm trying to fix. It started as a defense mechanism and became a bad habit. I can't tell my actual life from the world I made up in useless lies. I don't want to live life like that anymore, and I hate how often I lie for no reason. That's why I like Janus so much. My life isn't as scary when I knew deception can be good in moderation. I just need to make my way back to that middle ground.

Everything went to shit real quick.

Virgil's new series went over well. Grotesque murder scenes that focused on certain parts of the human body. That way no one would be able to track the crimes Virgil documented. He knew how to cook people perfectly now. He was thriving, and he thought everything was finally getting better, but he was wrong. His nightmares returned, but they just got worse. It got so bad that he started drinking coffee all day. He would stay in the common room each night, away from Patton. He'd keep all the lights on, going as far as to blast music in his ears and shine flashlights in his face just so he'd stay awake. Patton successfully pulled the jaw biting technique twice, but Virgil ended up locking himself in the bathroom for a full week afterwards so Patton couldn't reach him. He'd still eat and clean, but anytime he got even the slightest bit tired, he'd find a way to be alert. It started affecting Patton as well, making him more irritable and grumpy.

It was another night with everyone coming over. Patton was nice enough to set out tarps this time, and there was plastic wrap over the furniture. Virgil had a classmate over for a project beforehand, where Patton hid out in their room. Virgil laughed it off as being a neat freak. He heard it was going to rain, and his boyfriend often forgot to wipe off his feet. Still, he was thankful Patton set everything up beforehand. It made cleaning things easier. Especially when the twins were over. 

It was seven in the evening. Virgil was making brisket, his hands trembling as he put it in the oven. Regular brisket. They'd be over soon. Patton was out with them, trying to find a victim for the night. He was hesitant to leave Virgil alone, but Virgil convinced him he was fine. It wasn't the most pleasant conversation, and Patton left in a bad mood that Virgil shared. He'd be fine as long as he didn't fall asleep. The food was in the oven, and Virgil grabbed ice to hold as he waited. He put some ice down his back as he sat on the couch, pinching his legs. He heard the door open, looking up as his vision went hazy. Sure, he did pass out from exhaustion every now and then, but it had been six days since he last passed out. Even then, he only remained unconscious for three hours at most.

"Virge? You okay?" Patton asked, sitting next to him.

Virgil nodded, still shaking as he got up and kissed everyone. He made his way back to the couch, forcing a smile. It was horrifying. It reminded Patton of when Virgil first started living with him. Scared, alert, and in autopilot. Virgil glanced at the latest victim. Some guy who already was missing half his nose. He licked his lips, disgusted by the fact he felt more hungry just looking at the man. 

"Patton said you've been unwell. We were going to skip the murder to talk, but Patton said you were out of meat." Remus explained, moving forward. "You want to do it this time?"

Virgil shook his head, not feeling like talking. Logan took pity on him and snapped the man's neck, ignoring the cries of protest from the twins and Patton. Virgil let out a small whimper, watching with fascination. Logan let go of the body to look at them all. "I think a big murder is the last thing Virgil needs to see."

"How. . . is. . . everyone?" Virgil stuttered out, pausing after each word. He needed a distraction from what he was feeling. He felt his heart rate pick up, and his whole body became warm. He listened to everyone discuss what was going on. He felt his eyes get heavier as he listened, feeling an overwhelmingly sense of safety.

"Then Remus and I--" Roman stopped as Virgil stood up and stumbled towards the kitchen. "Virgil?"

Patton got up the minute Virgil opened their knife drawer. He tried to get there in time, but Virgil stabbed his leg by the time Patton got there. He had enough experience to miss any major arteries and only suffer from bleeding and maybe scarring, but he was awake now.

"Virgil!" Patton screeched, making him sit on the counter to inspect the wound. "I'm gonna have to stitch this up."

"Leave it in for a bit. I'll pull it out when I get tired." Virgil responded, trying to get back up only to be retrained by Patton.

"No! Janus, will you get--"

Janus already went to fetch the first aid kit, returning to help Patton hold down Virgil. "It's gotten this bad?"

"This is new. He usually just pinches his arms." Patton carefully put on gloves and pulled it out, throwing the knife into the sink. Virgil's face went from nonchalant to horror as blood poured out. He began to clean the wound as Janus set up the materials he'd need. "Yeah. I bet that's fucking scary. You just stabbed your leg. Don't go into shock. Please don't go into shock."

"Just put the knife back in! You're such an asshole!"

"That won't help! Are you fucking stupid?"

That was another factor. Patton and Virgil started arguing a lot. Virgil was fighting all of them, but Patton was around him the most. Virgil hissed when Patton began stitching him up. He watched as the needle went in and slowly closed the wound stitch by stitch. It hurt like hell. They kept bickering the whole time, Patton not being as gentle with the stitching as he was at the start. The good news was that Virgil was wide awake, but he and Patton kept yelling at each other even after the wound was wrapped up. It got more personal. Virgil blaming him for the nightmares, and Patton mocking him for being such a baby. It was uncomfortable to watch. Virgil got up, struggling to walk as he left the house, slamming the door behind him. Patton watched him the whole time.

"He won't get far. I'll bring him back in an hour. Better not try to unwrap his wound."

"Trouble in paradise?" Janus asked, putting the supplies away.

"So much. We haven't had a pleasant conversation in months. I know he's been short with all of you too, but I have never wanted to be single this much since I've met him. We almost broke up last week. Hate sex was interesting, but I hate how far we've grown apart. I love him so much. He's just so frustrating. Oh god. He shouldn't be out there alone." He got up quickly, leaving the others for a brief moment. Virgil wasn't that far, leaning against a tree maybe five yards out. He wasn't moving as much, trying his hardest to stay upright. There was a crow on his shoulder who cawed at Patton. He ran over, putting an arm around him, receiving a couple pecks from the crow in protest. "You're okay. It's okay. Get back inside."

Virgil nodded, leaning against him. He gave the crow a pat, motioning for him to go. The crow hesitated before flying away. "I'm sorry, Pat. I shouldn't have yelled. Please don't--"

"Let's get you inside. Don't put any weight on your leg. Don't say anything; just get inside."

"Okay."

He got him back inside, getting help from Remus when he got through the door. Virgil did look embarrassed and a bit fearful as he was brought back, not making eye contact with anyone. He looked so tired as well. Bags under eyes that were bloodshot. Patton treated it like normal, asking Roman to continue his story. Roman did so, albeit a little reluctant. He kept a close eye on Virgil, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. He'd touch the wrapped wound each time he almost passed out. Roman was the one who ended up tying Virgil's hands as well as his non-wounded leg to the chair. The minute they realized Virgil was biting his tongue, Remus gagged him. It was painful, not to Virgil, but to the others. Seeing him being bound like another victim was awful, but they had to do it. He was hurting himself, and none of them knew how to deal with that. Virgil struggled whilst being tied up, but he was too weak to make an impact.

"Sorry. We're so sorry." Patton whispered as Virgil's face contorted from fear to anger and back to fear. He wasn't fighting anymore, but he was shaking more. The lack of sleep was getting to him, and he was sure Patton was about to kill him for the fight. He flinched when Patton put a hand to his cheek, his pleas muffled behind the gag. "You're okay. This is to stop you from hurting yourself. Logan's going to put you to sleep for a little bit, okay? You're going to be good and let it happen."

Virgil's pleas grew more desperate before Logan bit his jaw lightly, making him stop and slump over. He was passed out, leaning on Logan.

"Virgil has a special pressure point there. Makes his whole body and mind relax, but it's not enough to get him asleep. Well, usually. His whole being is too exhausted, so he's out." Patton explained to the others, rubbing Virgil's arm. "I'm sorry we had to do that in front of you all. Lo is the only one who knows about that--well, he was."

"I'm the only one with permission to use it." Logan said quickly, giving Patton a look. "Right?"

"Yes. You have monopoly over our boyfriend's weak point."

A timer went off. The brisket temperature had to be measured. Patton got up, leaving Virgil against Logan, who removed the gag. He wouldn't need it asleep, and hopefully he'd want to eat once he was awake. He didn't look peaceful in his sleep. If anything, he was thrashing more due to his dreams. Logan pressed a kiss to his forehead which was getting sweaty. Patton joined them again, frowning.

"See? His nightmares are awful now. I'm glad he's asleep again, but he's not staying out for long. The jaw trick doesn't work as well anymore. He's been locking himself in a different room after I do the pressure point thing. He's going to be so mad."

"He might be mad at Logan, but I doubt it with his facial expressions. If anything, he seemed afraid." Janus said, and he sighed when Patton looked confused. "We tied him up and gagged him. Directly after a big fight. You said Logan was 'putting him to sleep' and told him to let it happen. He probably thought he was going to die. When he wakes up, he's going to be even more terrified. You didn't get the job done when he was unconscious. I'm sure that's not influencing his dreams at all."

The silence in the room was deafening. Janus snorted, rolling his eyes.

"No one realized? Logan?"

"I forgot we could potentially scare him. I got used to him." Logan explained, pushing Virgil against the chair and moving away from him. "Should we give him space?"

"Yes, we usually crowd people when we kill them." Roman said, backing up with him. They all did, watching Virgil. 

"Wait. We don't crowd. Don't we always stare people down from a small distance before we kill them?" Remus asked as Virgil's eyes shot open. He was awake, gasping for air from whatever happened in his short dream. He realized the bindings quickly, trying to move. 

"Patton, please. Please let me go. I'm sorry for yelling." Virgil babbled, tugging against his restraints. "I won't yell again. I'll never talk back or argue. Please don't fucking kill me. Patton, please, I'm sorry."

Patton moved forward, making Virgil shrink into his chair. "Honey, it's okay."

"I'll kill someone. I'll get over that. Please just don't fucking kill me. I'll drop out of school. I'll do whatever the fuck you want."

Patton cringed at that. Same speech Virgil gave when they first met. Some minor changes, but overall it was the same. He bent down, untying the one leg. Virgil kept moving around, still talking and begging for Patton to not be mad at him. This was very new to their recent fights. They never dealt with fear. Virgil's nightmares was taking a toll on them both, and it led to this. "Be a good boy and sit absolutely still."

Virgil followed his order automatically, shutting up. Patton rubbed his ankle, frowning at the marks it made.

"None of us are going to hurt you. You don't need to kill someone. I'm keeping the restraints on you so you don't hurt yourself. How's your leg feel?"

"Bad--no, good?"

"Don't try to answer what I want."

"It feels like shit. It hurts a lot, and I think walking on it was a bad idea."

"It was, wasn't it? No more stabbing yourself. No more being alone. I may ask you to take a semester off so we can keep track of you."

"I'll do it. Just--"

"Not going to hurt you. Want Lo to do the thing?"

"No! No, please no! I don't want to have the dreams again."

"Okay. That's fine. Roman's going to feed you tonight, okay? I don't trust you near utensils right now."

Virgil nodded before stopping. "I'm sorry about moving."

"You can move now. Just don't pull on the bindings. That wouldn't be great for your skin. Can I kiss you? Answer honestly. You can say no."

Virgil bit his tongue. Literally. He winced which alerted the others to the fact he did it. Patton let out a sigh at that, shaking his head.

"Gag's going back in. Open your mouth." Patton took the gag from Logan, tying it around Virgil again. "Good. No biting your tongue off. I don't know what to do about this. Maybe tone down the killing in front of you?"

Virgil's response was muffled, but it was hard to misunderstand.

"For you or for us?"

"Mphe."

"How are you going to keep our secrets with your issues?" Patton lowered the gag a bit, letting Virgil speak clearly.

"Everyone has nightmares. Frame it all as nightmares. Please just let me go to therapy. We tried exposure, and it didn't work. I need to see someone professional about my nightmares. I can't keep living like this. Won't mention any of you. I'll just talk about my dreams. It won't be a big deal."

Patton put the gag back in his mouth, patting his head. "I'll think about it over dinner. We're going to all have a discussion about what the next best step would be. For now, you're staying under our watch until we know you won't hurt yourself to stay awake."

Virgil nodded again, drumming his fingers against the arm chair. He didn't enjoy being tied up, but it was better than Patton actually being mad at him. His legs were free, at least, and he could move one of them around to adjust his body if he got uncomfortable. It was disturbing to be like this, but Virgil could tell they hated it almost as much as he did. That comforted him a bit. He remained calm as they tried to talk about anything that wasn't murder. When the brisket was finally done, they moved to the kitchen. Logan stayed with Virgil, smirking a bit.

"You look good tied up. I'm sure Roman's done this to you but slightly different before?"

Virgil tried to make a retort, but it was lost behind the rag they used in his mouth. The truth was yes, but with rope that was far too rough on his skin and no gag. This was also the first time he was bound to a chair.

"Lovely. I think you should see a doctor who specializes in sleep rather than a therapist. See what they diagnose you with."

"Mmph."

"Precious." He didn't look like he meant it. Mostly keeping up a front. The only one who looked vaguely comfortable with him tied up was Roman, who came over and lowered Virgil's gag to feed him. Logan left, making Roman grin wickedly.

"If you were just tied a bit tighter, I wouldn't be able to control myself." Roman held up a small piece of meat, watching Virgil eat it. "Think I can convince Patton to let us use your room?"

Virgil didn't answer, focusing more on the fork that was getting more meat. Answering anything wrong was a bad idea in his mind, but he did put on a small show for Roman with the fork he was using. It didn't last long before they had to stop since the others returned, but he still stared directly in Roman's eyes the whole time. Roman had to trade places with Remus, stammering that he wasn't Virgil's caretaker. Virgil weakly winked at Roman as he moved away, leaning his head back. He was kind of thirsty. He was still a bit scared, not willing to ask for anything. He had to do what they said. Eventually, Patton undid the restraints on his arms.

"Gonna be good? Do I need to tie you up tonight?"

Virgil shook his head, getting up slowly. Janus immediately grabbed him, pushing him back in the chair. "No getting up. We will need to tie you up. You're not allowed to walk by yourself. What do you need?"

"Water."

Patton went to grab him water as Virgil sat perfectly still. He didn't want to be tied up again. Not by Patton, who came back with a glass that he held to Virgil's lips. "Just tell us what you need. Drink the whole glass before speaking."

Virgil followed his order, even when water spilled from his mouth. He wiped the water off, going very slow. "Still have to go to classes to finish this semester. I'll apply for a gap semester or year, but I have to finish this year."

"Do you?"

"I guess not."

"Yes he does." Janus both loved and hated that he was being the voice of reason. "Patton, he's going to agree to everything we say until he realizes he's safe. He wants to finish the year. Virgil, I'm giving you permission to finish this semester. Just apply for your gap as soon as you can. If they reject the case, it's okay."

"Thank you."

Janus pressed a kiss to his head. Virgil didn't flinch at that, knowing he wasn't on Janus' list just yet. 

"Can I please get help getting to classes? I'll get crutches or something. I think they cost fifty dollars for the ones you can adjust. I have enough."

"Of course, honey. Now what are you going to tell your classmates?" Patton asked.

"I stabbed myself in the leg? I don't think I need to change that. Just say it was an accident. Say I got mad and accidentally swung the knife into my leg. I was setting up props for a photo shoot and got myself instead of the dummy. Actually, that one works best. I'm going with that story. My professor knows I don't use prop knives. Wouldn't be the first time I had an accident."

"How many times have you hurt yourself before--"

"Janus had to take me to the hospital because poison got in my mouth once. Also, I have fallen down so many stairs trying to get good shots. When it was just my crows, I broke my arm falling out of a tree. That was when I was a kid, though. I've learned my lesson."

"You fell out of a tree last week--"

"I've learned."

Patton gave one last look of concern before patting his shoulder. He turned to the others to discuss letting Virgil see an actual, licensed doctor to assess his dreams. It was risky, and they weren't sure it was smart. Logan said it was, but the overall verdict was that Virgil shouldn't see someone. If it got even worse, they'd consider, but for now he should just work on it. Logan offered his own services, having received a degree in psychology before he started killing for a living. He was a little rusty, but he could brush up on the topics. They were less reluctant to that, even if Logan said he had to meet with Virgil alone once a week.

They'd deal with it.

* * *

Virgil was late. He was late to dinner again. He had been consistently late for weeks now. Logan had yet to make a breakthrough. Virgil only talked about the nightmares. He gave descriptions, but that was it. Patton was angry, complaining about how weird Virgil was acting. Virgil walked through the door, struggling a bit with the crutches. Patton immediately turned to him, glaring.

"Where were you?"

Virgil rolled his eyes, stopping. "Fuck off."

"Don't talk to me like that. Where were you?!" Patton grabbed his arm, making him drop the one crutch. He sniffed Virgil, squeezing him tighter. "Were you getting high?!"

"It makes me calm down. I don't see the issue. Now let go. You're hurting my arm."

Granted, Patton did let go, but he didn't back up. "You can't rely on weed to feel good."

"You all rely on murder. I can get high once in awhile. It makes my thoughts go away. I'm happy when I'm high. Fuck."

Patton kicked the crutch on the ground, watching it clank against the stairs into the dirt. "You won't continue. You're not allowed."

Virgil turned, going to get the crutch. Patton reached out to grab him. He wasn't sure if it was because Virgil tried to move away or if it was because he moved his hand too fast, but he pushed Virgil down the porch. No actual damage was done as it was only three short steps, but he still looked terrified when he looked at Patton. He crawled backwards, his breath getting heavy. Patton wasn't phased. He kept walking forward, ignoring Janus who told him to stop.

"Virgil. Stop smoking."

"It's fucking weed! It's not like I'm doing meth!"

"I don't give a shit." Patton was over him now. Virgil couldn't really get far crawling, and without the crutches, his one leg was useless. "You're going to stop."

"You're scaring me."

That made Patton stop. "What?"

"You're scaring me! You actually hurt me!"

"I--"

"I won't smoke! Just stop! Please!"

"I hurt you?"

Roman finally got to the scene, helping Virgil to his feet and picking up the crutches. "I think that's enough. Come on. Back inside."

Virgil went inside, sitting away from the others. Patton walked with Roman. He started to go near Virgil, but Roman pulled him the opposite way. They sat down, the silence uncomfortable. Roman cleared his throat, gaining attention from the others.

"Virgil, you didn't greet us. You haven't the last couple of visits. Stop getting up." Roman added the last part when Virgil got up to greet them. "There's a reason. Why? Be honest. We won't hurt you. If we wanted to, we would've done it already."

"I'm scared. I'm scared about how I've been upsetting you all. I'm scared I'm pushing it. You don't have to keep me alive. I don't know what the breaking point will be. I'm scared of how my dreams make me feel."

"How do they make you feel?"

"I don't want to say."

"Answer him." Patton growled out, making Virgil wince.

"Virgil. You can tell me during one of our sessions. Doesn't matter which one or when." Logan said, making eye contact. "Alright?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll tell you during a session. I don't want to think about it now. I need to leave. I just need to go on a walk." Virgil got up, taking himself outside and leaving the room in silence. Patton let out a groan, putting his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry. I'm so mad at him. He's using drugs!"

"Weed is the least concerning drug." Remus said softly. "It's not the weed you have a problem with, huh?"

"He's changing. I'm glad he's using marijuana out of everything, but he's using something. I miss my Virgil. The one who cleaned my messes as he complained about how messy I was. The one who didn't flinch when he saw me."

"Padre, that Virgil's gone." Roman said, smiling sweetly. "We just have to help him. If we have to play domestic life without murder, we can. Just don't get mad right away. We have to let him ride out his anger."

Patton nodded, letting out a sigh. He really hoped Virgil would be okay.

* * *

Logan had to convince Patton to allow Virgil to stay the night. It was for a sleep study as well as to let the two be separate for the night. It was directly after another big argument, and everyone wanted space anyway. Virgil was more unstable. Roman, ever the one to mark Virgil, found burns all over his body. He refused to fess up about what he used or when he did it, but he did insult them all for a solid five minutes before Logan had enough. He took Virgil to his home, giving him decaffeinated tea before Virgil finally aired his concerns. The more okay he was with murder, the worse his dreams got. He wanted it to stop, and he was hurting himself not only to stay awake but to punish himself. He tried to confess at church, but he got paranoid. He thought the priests would catch on, and he didn't want any of his boyfriends to get caught. What made it worse was he found watching people die pleasurable. He got off on it. His dreams actively turned him on, and he didn't want to keep living like this. It was a battle between his morals and his desires. He didn't want to tell Patton. He didn't want to tell anyone. Saying it out loud made it real.

Logan, being the first to hear about it, asked permission before alerting the others. It didn't matter what Virgil answered with. He'd tell them anyway, but Virgil said he could, so that was a tiny bonus. He instantly got responses from the others. They were all a bit tense and mad, still thinking of the fight, but they did support Virgil. The twins said it was okay that Virgil thought that. Janus related it to his own experience when he killed lovers for the lust he felt. Patton offered to implement murder in the bedroom. Virgil wasn't ready for that, still disgusted by his mind.

"Virgil, I need you to tell me why you won't allow this." Logan said, sitting across from him. The house was absolutely normal, which calmed Virgil a bit. It was dusted to perfection, and all his stuff was organized. Virgil drank the tea with shaking hands. Logan frowned at that, reaching out and taking his hand. "Answer me."

"It's fucked up. I don't want to like this. I feel weird enjoying seeing people die. That's why I get high. I don't usually have dreams when I'm high. I know that's the opposite effect most people have, but it's true for me."

"I believe it's called 'hybristophilia' or something. Attraction to your partner when they do unspeakable acts. You could also just lust over killing. Not a common thing, but I've met cases like this. It's why people obsess over serial killers. It's why people like us kill. I'm not going to say it's natural, but it's normal when you spend most of your time with murderers."

"I don't want that to be who I am. It feels wrong."

"Does it feel good?"

"Yes."

Logan kissed his hand, pulling him up. "I think you're ready to kill someone. That might help you accept it. We could also keep it professional. You accept it, ignore it, and end up with these dreams. I'll convince the others to let you get therapy or medication to help you sleep lucidly. It won't get rid of your thoughts, but it'll sedate the dreams. I'll also talk to Patton about the marijuana thing. If it helps, it helps."

"I don't want to kill. I mean, I want to, but I don't want to. You know?"

"Yes, I'm aware of what you're trying to say. I think it would be helpful to start with someone who is close to death. Finish someone off for us."

"L, I--"

"If it gets too much, you can come to me. You're allowed to leave the room. Just to see how you react. I'll help you with any arousal you have."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

Virgil was nervous. The person on the tarp was very close to death. There were different weapons lining the cloth. Butcher knives, a gun, an ax, cyanide, and more. The victim was pleading for their life, bleeding all over the tarp. Virgil felt a hand on his back. He limped towards the body, his leg never really recovering from the time he stabbed himself. He sat down next to the person, blood staining his jeans quickly. He held up his camera, focusing on the person's nailless fingers. He took pictures, shuddering as the person begged. There was one nail left, which he pried from the victim's hand as they screamed. He handed the camera to Remus, wrapping his hands around the person's neck. Slowly, he increased pressure until the person was out cold. He didn't let go, only squeezing tighter as he shook immensely. He heard a snap somewhere in the person's neck, and he let go with a stuttered breath. He grabbed their head, slamming it against the ground for good measure before letting go and getting up. Fuck. It felt so good. He let out a soft groan at the body, backing up. He wanted more. He used his good leg to stomp the head in, smiling as blood splattered. Patton had to pull him away when there was nothing but pieces of skull mushed in brain and blood.

"Good job. You did so well."

Virgil smiled at the praise, his nerves gone. He took his camera back, taking pictures of his work. He looked so proud. He had to excuse himself because of how excited he got, leaving the others with a promise to clean up once he was done.

"He did such a good job." Patton said, inspecting the body. "He's going to clean this, huh? May get distracted with his thoughts."

"Hopefully it'll help his dreams. I'm going assist him. I promised I would." Logan got up, stepping over the blood.

"He made it extra bloody." Remus said, looking at Roman.

"We taught him that one." Roman confirmed, nodding. "We showed him the beauty of excessive gore."

"Patton did it." Janus wiped blood off his shoe, frowning. "Virgil probably had this kink for awhile. Patton set it off with his murders, but all of us activated it by continuing to kill in front of him. He wouldn't have known about it if he didn't see all of this. Maybe he would. You can find wonderful videos online if you search for them. We just allowed an easy transition. He won't last long in there with Logan. First murder lust and all."

Sure enough, they heard water being run in the bathroom. After ten minutes, Logan and Virgil came back out. Logan's glasses were askew, which he quickly fixed. Virgil was holding Logan's tie, smiling as he played with it. He quickly got to work with cleaning, stopping every now and then to take another photo. His clothes were covered in blood by the time he got it all wrapped up, and his face went from disoriented with pleasure to disgust once he looked down.

"Fuck. Blood is so hard to wash out. This is going to take forever. What the hell did I do?"

"Your best!" Patton and Roman chimed in at the same time.

"It smells really bad." Virgil mumbled, making his way to the kitchen. He pulled out some candles, lighting them and taking a deep breath. Roses and sandalwood. He brought them to the living room, placing them on the coffee table. It helped slightly with the odor, but his clothes were the main problem. He went to their bedroom, putting the blood-dyed clothes in the bathtub before getting dressed in clean clothes. The room was decorated with more candles when he got back. "Thank you."

Patton held out his arms, allowing Virgil to collapse into him. "Good dreams tonight? Maybe the same?"

"I don't know. Maybe worse. Hopefully not. I won't fight sleep tonight. My gap semester was rejected, so that will be my main worry. They said my health issues weren't a good enough excuse. Don't want to drop out again."

"How many semesters until you graduate?"

"Two. I could probably make it one if I overload. I won't have time to do anything else, but I'll be done."

"Don't push yourself. It'll be okay if we have to take more time. Want us to kill the people who rejected your gap?"

Virgil shook his head, pulling away from the hug. He sat down, leaning his head back. "No. I can do it myself if I really want to. I need a moment before I think of killing again. It felt really good. I was so tempted to eat his beating heart, but I left that. I wonder what that would feel like. No. Stop. I'm getting excited again."

"Let it happen. Makes the whole thing easier." Remus said, sitting on his lap. "We can cook the heart if you want. Next time, you'll bite it beating."

Virgil hid his face in Remus' neck, whining.

"Success. We've conditioned him!"

"We didn't--for fucks sake. He's always liked it." Janus hissed. "We just--"

"We know." Roman interrupted, waving him off. "Let Remus have this. Patton, please let us know if the nightmares or fighting get worse."

"I will. I have a feeling it'll be fine." Patton said, smiling.

* * *

Virgil woke up, sweating. He shot up in the bed, causing Patton to stir.

"Dreams?" Patton mumbled, sitting up. Virgil nodded, getting on top of him. Patton smiled, kissing him gently, tangling his fingers into Virgil's hair. Virgil groaned, deepening the kiss right away.

It was going to be a fun night.

**Author's Note:**

> Did I ruin a perfectly good fic I wrote by making it a series? Yes.  
> Send requests so I don't do this (or don't, and I will continue to make Virgil lose his sanity). I'll delete this series later.
> 
> My original readers are fucking horrified probs. I used to just do fun, happy, sometimes angst shit. This is not the same writer. I may try to write an actual horror story with this premise. Also, I may change my username after this. Just a heads up.


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